Boys' name · since 1914
Gil
4,971 babies named Gil in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,781 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,880 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,971
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
Gil currently ranks #4880 among boys' names in America, with 4,971 babies recorded since 1914.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gil has been recorded 4,971 times among boys since 1914, currently ranked #4880 nationally and more common than 65% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #1,781 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,880 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,971 born since 1914
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gil ranks #1,781 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,880 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,971 born since 1914, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,781 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,880 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,971
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
Gil's 4,971 recorded births place it above 96.08% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Gil compares
4,971 Top 13% higher than 87% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gil's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gil | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,971 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 124 | 34 | 22,252 |
Gil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Gil splits its recorded history at 1971: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1917 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1957 peak of 124 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Gil popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 124
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Gil by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (915 births, 18% of the file).
1950s was Gil's strongest decade.
915 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Gil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 39
1910s
39 births
- 1920s 114
1920s
114 births
- 1930s 160
1930s
160 births
- 1940s
1940s
381 births
- 1950s
1950s
915 births
- 1960s
1960s
900 births
- 1970s
1970s
516 births
- 1980s
1980s
508 births
- 1990s
1990s
508 births
- 2000s
2000s
469 births
- 2010s 320
2010s
320 births
- 2020s 141
2020s
141 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 915 births (18% of all-time use).
How Gil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Gil's total volume
Gil by state
Where Gil concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 985 | 19.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 621 | 12.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 516 | 10.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 91 | 1.8% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 52 | 1.0% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 37 | 0.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 27 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 22 | 0.4% |
985 of 4,971 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Gil appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gil? ▼
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When was Gil most popular? ▼
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What to do with Gil's data
- Gil's decade-level peak was the 1950s (915 total births); usage has since declined to 141 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Gils (985 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gil
Nearby Names Like Gil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gil
Compare Gil side by side: Gil vs Gilbert Gil vs Gilberto Gil vs Giles
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gil
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gil: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~111 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gil draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.